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There is no one, O my Lord, who can deal bountifully with me to whom I can
turn my face, and none who can have compassion on me that I may crave his
mercy. Cast me not out, I implore Thee, of the presence of Thy grace,
neither do Thou withhold from me the outpourings of Thy generosity and
bounty. Ordain for me, O my Lord, what Thou hast ordained for them that
love Thee, and write down for me what Thou hast written down for Thy
chosen ones. My gaze hath, at all times, been fixed on the horizon of Thy
gracious providence, and mine eyes bent upon the court of Thy tender
mercies. Do with me as beseemeth Thee. No God is there but Thee, the God
of power, the God of glory, Whose help is implored by all men.
Suffer me, O my God, to draw nigh unto Thee, and to abide within the
precincts of Thy court, for remoteness from Thee hath well-nigh consumed
me. Cause me to rest under the shadow of the wings of Thy grace, for the
flame of my separation from Thee hath melted my heart within me. Draw me
nearer unto the river that is life indeed, for my soul burneth with thirst
in its ceaseless search after Thee. My sighs, O my God, proclaim the
bitterness of mine anguish, and the tears I shed attest my love for Thee.
I beseech Thee, by the praise wherewith Thou praisest Thyself and the
glory wherewith Thou glorifiest Thine own Essence, to grant that we may be
numbered among them that have recognized Thee and acknowledged Thy
sovereignty in Thy days. Help us then to quaff, O my God, from the fingers
of mercy the living waters of Thy loving-kindness, that we may utterly
forget all else except Thee, and be occupied only with Thy Self. Powerful
art Thou to do what Thou willest. No God is there beside Thee, the Mighty,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Glorified be Thy name, O Thou Who art the King of all Kings!
Thou beholdest, O my God, the Day-Star of Thy Word shining above the
horizon of Thy prison-city, inasmuch as within its walls He who is the
Manifestation of Thy Self and the Day-Spring of the light of Thy unity
hath raised His voice and uttered Thy praise. The fragrances of Thy love
have thereby been wafted over Thy cities and have encompassed all the
dwellers of Thy realm.
Since Thou hast revealed Thy grace, O my God, deter not Thy servants from
directing their eyes towards it. Consider not, O my God, their estate, and
their concerns and their works. Consider the greatness of Thy glory, and
the plenteousness of Thy gifts, and the power of Thy might, and the
excellence of Thy favors. I swear by Thy glory! Wert Thou to look upon
them with the eye of justice, all would deserve Thy wrath and the rod of
Thine anger. Hold Thou Thy creatures, O my God, with the hands of Thy
grace, and make Thou known unto them what is best for them of all the
things that have been created in the kingdom of Thine invention.
We testify, O my God, that Thou art God, and that there is no God besides
Thee. From eternity Thou hast existed with none to equal or rival Thee,
and wilt abide for ever the same. I beseech Thee, by the eyes which see
Thee stablished upon the throne of unity and the seat of oneness, to aid
all them that love Thee by Thy Most Great Name, and to lift them up into
such heights that they will testify with their own beings and with their
tongues that Thou art God alone, the Incomparable, the One, the
Ever-Abiding. Thou hast had at no time any peer or partner. Thou, in
truth, art the All-Glorious, the Almighty, Whose help is implored by all
men.
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I bear witness that from eternity Thou
wert exalted in Thy transcendent majesty and might, and wilt to eternity
abide in Thy surpassing power and glory. None in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven can frustrate Thy purpose; none throughout the realms of revelation
and of creation can prevail against Thee. At Thy command Thou doest what
Thou willest, and by the power of Thy sovereignty Thou rulest as Thou
pleasest.
I implore Thee, O Thou Who causest the dawn to appear, by Thy Lamp which
Thou didst light with the fire of Thy love before all that are in heaven
and on earth, and whose flame Thou feedest with the fuel of Thy wisdom in
the kingdom of Thy creation, to make me to be of those who have soared in
Thine atmosphere, and surrendered their will to Thy decree.
I am all wretchedness, O my Lord, and Thou art the Most Powerful, the
Almighty. Have pity upon me by Thy grace and bountiful favor, and
graciously aid me to serve Thee and them that are dear to Thee. Potent art
Thou to do as Thou willest. No God is there but Thee, the God of strength,
of glory and wisdom.
Many a chilled heart, O my God, hath been set ablaze with the fire of Thy
Cause, and many a slumberer hath been wakened by the sweetness of Thy
voice. How many are the strangers who have sought shelter beneath the
shadow of the tree of Thy oneness, and how numerous the thirsty ones who
have panted after the fountain of Thy living waters in Thy days!
Blessed is he that hath set himself towards Thee, and hasted to attain the
Day-Spring of the lights of Thy face. Blessed is he who with all his
affections hath turned to the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation and the
Fountain-Head of Thine inspiration. Blessed is he that hath expended in
Thy path what Thou didst bestow upon him through Thy bounty and favor.
Blessed is he who, in his sore longing after Thee, hath cast away all else
except Thyself. Blessed is he who hath enjoyed intimate communion with
Thee, and rid himself of all attachment to any one save Thee.
I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Him Who is Thy Name, Who, through the power
of Thy sovereignty and might, hath risen above the horizon of His prison,
to ordain for every one what becometh Thee and beseemeth Thine exaltation.
Thy might, in truth, is equal to all things.